We have more rumored dates involving Android phones waiting to get the 2.1 update. As of late, we have seen lots of talk about phones including the Motorola Droid and HTC Hero (on Sprint) getting updated with Android 2.1. Unfortunately, those dates have either been promised and not delivered or just rumors.

That said, more, and still limited info has recently been popping up. The Motorola Droid news is certainly not going to make any current users happy, but here goes. According to the posting over on the Motorola Facebook Fan Page;

“We know you guys are anxiously awaiting the upgrade from 2.0 to 2.1. Ultimately, we want to ensure you have the best possible experience on your device; as a result, the rollout is taking longer than expected. Though we don’t have the new deployment date to share just yet, we do promise we are working to get you updated information and will relay it as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience. We appreciate it!”

Not much else to say about that, basically it will come when it comes. But moving on, and moving to another rumored release date for the Sprint branded HTC Hero. According to a leaked screenshot, it looks like those users can expect an update in April. Or more specifically an update that is “tentatively scheduled for 4/9/10.” Of course, that leaked screenshot is claiming this is actually a “maintenance release.” But that said, the anonymous tipster that tipped of Phandroid is suggesting that the Hero will be getting more than a maintenance upgrade and in fact it will be 2.1 that fixes the issues.

Time will tell, but for HTC Hero owners, lets hope they see some better results. Well, better results as compared to the Mototorola Droid users that went from a specific date to nothing at all.

This would be great news if it's true. Some how, I don't know if it is though. It mentions there is an update for the HTC Hero on April 9th, but it doesn't mention the Samsung Moment. Wouldn't Sprint be releasing the updates for both phones in tandem? The lack of the Samsung Moment being mentioned (especially given it doesn't use Sense UI, so it should be ready before the HTC Hero), really has me worried. I've read elsewhere that this is just an update patch to fix an MMS issue.

Releasing an update in tandem, especially OTA would be a massive drain on network resources. Aside from that, the 2.1 update is really based on two factors, the modifications needed to run Android on the phone and the network, and the phone manufacturer's willingness to upgrade the phone. HTC is very serious about updating its Android devices, and has been working hard to release a new version of sense for the Hero. Samsung hasn't really been all that vocal about making updates. (Truth be told, they have a pretty bad track record with releasing updates in conjunction with Sprint. Look at all of the incarnations of the Samsung Instinct.) That said, the Moment should be a different story seeing that it is running a fairly stock Android rom, and 2.1 supports CDMA natively. Another thing that may need to be taken into account is the sheer number of users. The HTC Hero has been a wildly popular phone for Sprint. It may in fact be taking higher priority in Sprint's eyes merely because of the number of units out.

I'm well aware of Samsung's reluctance to update its firmware on its handsets. As for the large drain of network resources for a tandem OTA update, I'm pretty certain I've read somewhere that Sprint won't allow an OTA update for a handset that is over 10MB in size. This is because Sprint claims it would tie up the phone for too long of a time and prevent the use of it in the event of an emergency. I honestly believe that this would be an extremely rare event to happen, but it's Sprint's call on how it chooses to roll out the update. I would agree that the HTC Hero (this is the smartphone I own) would likely take precedence in terms of getting "first dibs" on the update over the Samsung Moment if Sprint chooses not to roll out the update in tandem as mentioned above. Be that as it may, I do feel that the Samsung Moment's update roll out would be very soon if not at the same time as the HTC Hero's.

More than likely, NOT going to see anything anytime soon (or at all for that matter). Magic (European version of MT3G) owners are able to manually put the Sense UI via download but this is not available to MT3G due to liscensing issues.

I've never really known sprint customer service to have any idea what they were talking about when it comes to things like this, or to follow through on deadlines for that matter. oh well i guess it will come out whenver it is that it comes out.

This is the last forum I will be looking at and I will no longer be googling android 2.1 update as alls I get is alot of responses from people trying to guess when the update is coming. When the update comes to my handset is when I will believe it. God bless and hope update comes soon

Sprint is probably never going to finish the update. Their chat representatives are stating: Agent (Shannon R): "I do sincerely apologize,however Sprint has not released that information to us. The only information that we have been provided is that it may be release for the 2.1 in the Summer. Please know that you can keep check on that information on Sprint.com/downloads or on Sprint.com. I do apologize for any inconvenience that this may be causing you This would lead to indicate that Sprint will not be making the "1H2010" nor "Early 2Q2010" that has shown up in the on Sprint's twitter account. It makes me wonder if Sprint will even release the update, or just tell people to buy new phones with Android 2.1. My recent post sprint: Sprint Announces LG Rumor Touch Pricing and Availability with Two Additional Stylish Color Options

I was in a Sprint store yesterday and asked the guy about it. He said that he did not know. However, I'm sure he has tried to find out as he also has a Hero. All people do is whine and whine about this. I'm not too worried as I am rooted and running custom ROMs, but it would be nice to have all the features working with anyone of the 2.1 ROMs out there right now. MAYBE ALL OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH APPLE SUING HTC

If Sprint wants to maximize their sales of the pending EVO they need to get the updates for their current phones out sooner rather than later. If the leaks about the EVO going on pre-sale in May through BestBuy stores has any credence, the 2.1 update for the Hero and Moment need to be out the first part of April or Sprint risks cannibalizing their own potential sales for their current and/or future handsets.

I was looking over sales trends and it seems like Sprint is timing the release of 2.1 to the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment with Verizon`s release of the Droid Incredible due out on April 29th. It would put a big dent in the Incredible`s sales by offering your choice of android 2.1 with or without keyboard for less than half the price of the Droid Incredible. The release date of both will be less than two weeks apart…Verizon being first and Sprint preparing to launch an aggressive counter-strategy…kill the Incredible just in time for the release of the HTC Evo….just a theory but one backed up by the apparent actions of both companies.